Wrong Step (Urban Fiction): A Sinister Syndicate Thriller (7 page)

“This is harder than I thought, but if it means you don’t have to kill, we’ll do it.”

“Good man,“ Tyler said. “Just don’t overdo it.”

Sheddi interrupted.

“Knocks said this isn’t his jurisdiction, but he knows the Queens sergeant, and they’ll do it, and I have some good news.”

Tyler looked to her, “What news?”

“They moved Moira to a hospital in Woodstock Pennsylvania.”

“That’s the next state over.”

“And Woodstock’s almost on our border,” she said. “We’re doing this tomorrow night, right?”

Tyler knew her next request.

“If you have the name to the hospital, we’ll go in the morning. They’re trying to kill you because of your friend, and I know you want to tell her it’s under control.”

“Thanks, Tyler!” She inadvertently kissed him on the lips.

Tyler was thrown for a second,

Sheddi backed off immediately.

“Sorry, I just got caught up in the good news.”

“No, no. There’s no need for an apology. I’m single, and you’re sweet. Emotions make you slip.”

Sheddi never slipped before. It was just Tyler’s command of the situation without even really knowing her that gave her amour for him. That Ranger physique was the icing to her cake.

“Well, I have to get some sleep. We have to get up very early tomorrow morning. Will you be alright?

“Ranger training, I’m good.”

Sheddi nodded, and went into the bedroom.

“You know she likes you,” Reggie told him.

“That was a slip, Reggie. She was just excited she could see her friend.”

“I thought Rangers knew their situations. Next time when she ‘slips’, it will be tongue related. Haven’t you seen those eyes she’s been giving you since you arrived? Stop denying the obvious. She wants some Ranger meat.” Reggie kept coaxing. “She’s a babe. You’re not gay, right?”

Tyler gave him a disgusted look.

“Hey, don’t ask, don’t tell is over. I’m just asking.

“No, Reggie. I’m not gay. I’m just dedicated to my mission. She should understand that. She’s a hot African Nefertiti, and definitely a catch, but in a Ranger’s status, the mission is always the primary. Distractions get you killed. I survived Afghanistan. I won’t get killed at home because I want to see what her inner thighs smell like. Many men were ambushed by Punjabi female assassins because they were carnally distracted, I know she’s not an assassin, but those feminine wiles are just as distracting. I really don’t think she knows how sexy she really is, but Ranger training will make me prioritize. Mission first, Sheddi later.”

Reggie knew Tyler was tough, but discipline wasn’t what he thought would guide him.

“You’re tougher than I could ever be. If she arbitrarily kissed me, we’d see how strong my mattress springs were.”

“That’s the difference between a vet, and a civilian who never went in the service, Reggie. We know to wait, good things always come down the pike.”

As Reggie listened to Tyler, he just kept him company until the Shepards returned. The next day would get very interesting

It was six in the morning. Tyler and Sheddi were on I-295 on the way to Woodstock, and Tyler spoke,

“I knew Woodstock was in New York State. Why did Detective Tanaka say it was in Pennsylvania?”

“Knocks knows I’m from Ghana, and I travel by landmarks. I wouldn’t know if Woodstock would be northern, southern, eastern, or western from Queens. He did that for me,” she explained.

”So you don’t know of the famous 1969 concert.”

“About as much as you know of Willian Edward Burghardt Du Bios’ death in Acura.” She wanted to prove her point, but Tyler was resilient.

“At least I know who W. E. B. Du Bois was. He was born in Massachusetts. Jimmy Hendrix was worldwide, and I bet you don’t know him.”

“I know of Mister Hendricks.” She didn’t.  “He was your president… once?”

Tyler just grinned.

He put in a CD, and All Along the Watchtower came through his speakers.

“Yeah, President Hendrix can rock.”

They listened to the riffs of the guitar, and Sheddi had to ask.

I like this. Does he live in New York?”

“His gravesite is in Renton Washington, He died in ’70.”

“And you still listen to him after 46 years?”

Tyler looked at her as if she shot his dog.

“There are few great wielders of the axe. Satriani, and Malmsteen are still alive, but Stevie Ray Vaughan, Michael Hedges, and Hendrix are dead. Jimmy was the left handed gift from God. I keep him like others keep The Beatles or Elvis.”

That was one thing about Tyler. It doesn’t matter the age, he keeps what he loves.

Sheddi remembered the asinine kiss she gave him.

“Look. Tyler, about last night…”

He cut her off.

“Marnu really pulled it off with Salom. She slapped him on the shoulder for calling her a bitch, but the scene is set for tonight.”

“You know that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“That’s the only thing we didn’t talk about last night because you went to sleep.”

“He was going to make this difficult.

“I’m talking about me kissing you.”

Tyler tried to avoid this conversation, but he knew it was coming. Woodstock couldn’t get there fast enough.

“We talked about that already. You slipped, the incident is over.”

“Wow. A man doesn’t want to talk about what I want to. Why am I surprised?”

Tyler knew he was being hard to talk to, but he wanted to stay on mission. Sheddi’s aggravated pout change that.

“Look, Sheddi. You’re an investigative photographer, I’m an Army vet. We’re both in the same thing, sort of. You know if you get distracted by anything, your mission suffers. This is not your fault, it’s the mission’s fault. I have to stay sharp, or I’d be shot because I was marveling at your sexy thighs. I can’t allow that to happen. You’re too important for that. I know you like me, and I’m sweet on you as well. We just have to wait until the Mambas are behind bars. I hope you understand.”

Sheddi was surprised for real this time. The men in Ghana have that king, servant thing happening. Tyler was definitely not from Ghana.

“So you think my thighs are sexy,” she said to ease the tension. “You should see me in shorts.”

Tyler smiled.

“In due time, rabbit. In due time.”

They continued to Woodstock listening to Purple Haze as they drove to the hospital.

~~~

“How did you meet this Moira anyway?” Tyler was curious.

As they walked into Iroquois General, Sheddi explained.

“When I was a little girl, I lived in New Town, and helped my mother at the market. New Town was just that, a town. When all my friends decided to come to New York to help orphans, they call it the Sally Struthers counter, I tagged along because I was never in a city before, and New York was such a large city, we even knew of it in Africa.

I always wanted adventure because selling fruit at the market was boring. I took a community class in photography, and was able to visually record what I saw. I took my camera everywhere.

“There was a gang robbery once at a bodega, and I just clicked away. When the police got there, I met Knocks, and told him I had pictures. He took my camera, developed the pictures, and found the crooks.

When he gave me back my camera, he asked me if I was an investigative photographer, and I told him I just took pictures.

He put me in a real school to learn all the things I know about photography now.

I lived with Abena back then, but being out all hours of the night freelancing messed up her sleep. I had to find another place to live. I found Moira’s ad in the classifieds, and she wanted to go halfsies on an apartment. I had my money from my picture taking so I visited her. We’ve been friends ever since. I think she liked me because I could filter out all the creeps she went out with. I guess I missed one.”

“It’s not your fault,” Tyler said. “The Mambas are experts at recruiting. They do drugs, girls, and weapons trafficking. They even relish shootouts with the cops in Kingston. They haven’t flexed over here because NYPD carries military grade weaponry. They’re a Jamaican posse. They know the game where a young woman from New Town just got into this deadly game.”

At least Tyler made her feel better. They both checked in, and went to Moira’s room. The police guard let them in.

Moira was sleeping in bed in a traction rig as Sheddi shook her arm.

“Hey, Hun. I guess Jabril was a little more than a creep.”

Moira slowly opened her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” she eked.

“Hey, you’re alive, and I’m not shot yet. I say we both made out that time. You asked me to check him out for a reason. You were right.” She kissed her cheek. “I have it from here.”

“Sheddi, those guys are a drug cartel that shot me because I wouldn’t comply, this is my problem.”

“I took their pictures, and screamed when they shot you. They saw me, so it’s my problem now.”

Moira felt better to know her able friend would finish this. She looked past Sheddi to see Tyler.

“Who’s the hunk?”

Sheddi realized she didn’t know Tyler, but he interrupted.

“Tyler Rodgers, Ma’am. I’m the guy that’s going to help Sheddi. I’m a former U.S. Ranger, and know how to stop a posse.”

Moira sized him up, and looked at Sheddi.

“I hope this isn’t just strictly business, girl.”

Sheddi was not expecting the banter from Moira, but at least she was coherent, and breathing.

“Our relationship is strictly business right now. When the Mambas are in jail, who knows?”

Moira smiled for the first time since the shooting.

Tyler saw they needed girl talk, and excused himself.

“I’m about to get a candy bar, do you two want anything?”

Sheddi said, “Get me a bag of Quizznipz.”

“These task masters won’t let me have anything other than this ‘delicious’ hospital gruel until I can walk by myself, I’m good,” Moira said.

Tyler pointed at Sheddi. “Quizznipz, gotcha. I’ll be back in thirty.”

As Tyler left, Moira began to speak.

“Where did you find him?”

“My friend Abena got him from Leila’s Shepards. She knew we needed experience when dealing with the Mambas, and Tyler did three tours in Afghanistan,” Sheddi said.

“And he was a Ranger? He’s gonna wear you out, girl.”

“Even when you’re in traction, you’re thinking carnally,”

“When they unhook me, I’ll still be a feisty lass,” Moira said. “You’re not hooked to bars, why aren’t you thinking the same way I am?”

“I never said I wasn’t, but Tyler explained our sequence. Mambas first, then fun.”

“Just don’t be another conquest for him. I was Jabril’s conquest, and look what happened to me.” Moira was still bitter.

“Tyler’s sweet. He just didn’t want to jump my bones the first day. At least he didn’t say it. I inadvertently kissed him yesterday. He won’t even put the ball in play until we beat the Mambas.”

Moira got concerned.

“Beating an international drug cartel is a tall order, even for a Ranger. That would be tough for Seal Team Six.”

“I have my Seal team, the Shepards.”

Moira scoffed.

“Yeah, a bunch of Navy trained commandos. They serve soup. They’ll be shot throwing chicken noodle at them.”

“Tyler’s training them, and he’s a Ranger, Seal equivalent.”

“Just understand this will go very badly, and there may be some deaths involved.”

“It won’t go wrong. They did a mission last night, and nobody died.”

Moira was curious.

“What did the Charity Squad do?”

“The ‘Charity Squad’ monitored the Round Rasta Records warehouse, the Mamba’s headquarters. They got our ‘intel’. Tyler calls our information that.”

“He’s a jarhead to his heart,” Moira said.

“Don’t slip, and call him a jarhead. He’s Army, not Marines.”

“What difference does it make?

“That’s like calling a Met a Dodger. What am I saying? You don’t know sports.” Sheddi adjusted for her friend. “That’s like calling a Michael Michael Kors handbag a Louis Vuitton.”

“Either way, that vet is sexy.”

“Even when a bullet mingled dangerously close to your spine, you won’t quit.”

“He didn’t kill me,” Moira said. “If I’m breathing, I’m flirting.”

“That’s not flirting, that’s ogling,” Sheddi said.

“Well that ‘ogled’ vet gave us our time so that means he’s smart and sexy. Face it, you won.”

Sheddi smiled at her friend, and began to tell her of the happenings of yesterday.

                                                                         ~~~

Tyler walked down the hall, and looked at the Iroquois display. The Native Americans were also known as the Haudenosaunee, and the Huron were called Iroquois because of similar languages, and integration during wars.

I guess a Haudenosaunee gunship would be too hard to transmit over a com, so we went with Apache,
he thought as he saw the history,

He went to the cafeteria, and got a soda, and Quizznipz from the vending machine, sat down, drank his soda, and waited.

His phone rang. It was Tanaka. He answered it.

“We’re at Iroquois General, Detective.”

“Good, I have your distraction ready for seven forty tonight. How are you infiltrating?”

“I’ve been breaking security for years. If it’s below nuclear launch code level, I can get in.”

“So you were the security specialist Ranger.”

“I was a ‘jack of all trades’ Ranger. When any of our team was wounded, we kept going. The mission doesn’t stop because one of us got shot.”

“I’m hearing some Semper Fortis there.”

“Where do you think the Navy got it from?” Tyler rhetorically asked. “Army’s senior service.”

“That may be, kid, but I was in bloody bodies when you were learning your ABCs.”

That was true, but Tyler was finally able to execute a way to disrupt the Mambas. He had to respect the age though. He dropped his sword, the duel was over.

“Did Dedzo see McGuiness?”

“Sheddi’s with her right now. I’m in the cafeteria. I wanted to give them their space.”

“And we say you Army drones are mindless tank riders; smart man,”
Even though Tyler surrendered, Tanaka couldn’t resist the final stab in the heart.

“We will return to Queens shortly. Did you know Sheddi didn’t know who Hendrix was?”

“Yeah, I thought about that when I put McGuiness in Woodstock. That’s why I told her it was in Pennsylvania. She could find that. Hendrix would’ve jumbled her mind.”

“I guess you know her better than I do. I had to play Purple Haze to get her familiar with the icon.”

“European, and American icon. She’s from Ghana.”

“And I thought everybody knew Jimmy. Shows what I know,” Tyler said.

“Every indigenous cognizant person born in America knows Jimmy. She’s from Africa. She said there, they called her colored because she’s mixed race, and that wasn’t racist. You’ve been to different parts of the world. The U.S. isn’t the world’s mainstay.”

Tyler knew of different cultures, and customs. Just living in New York desensitized him from them. There were even kings, and Shahs over presidents in the Middle East.

“I’ve been gone for half an hour, so I need to get back. The fireworks happen at seven forty. I have to get ready.”

“Brahmowichz is a good guy, He’ll have those snipers directed away from you. I’d say twenty minutes. Is about it. Is that enough time for you?”

“I know Sheddi is quick, but we’ll be on my timetable. Twenty minutes is fine Tell him front of the building.”